Vehicle front part structure

Abstract

To disclose a vehicle front part structure that is able to further improve the degree of freedom in design.SOLUTION: A vehicle front part structure includes: a fender flange 20 which is a part of a front fender panel 12 and projects inward in a vehicle width direction from an upper end edge of a design surface of the front fender panel 12; and a lamp unit 30 disposed on a vehicle lower side from the fender flange 20; and a bracket 40 connecting the fender flange 20 and the lamp unit 30. The bracket 40 has a bent portion 48 extending toward one side in the vehicle width direction as the bent portion extends toward a vehicle upper side, and then folded back toward the opposite side in the vehicle width direction as the bent portion extends toward the vehicle upper side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This specification discloses a front structure for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicles have a hood and front fender panels arranged on both the left and right sides of the hood. Normally, a fender flange protrudes from the upper edge of the design surface of the front fender panel. When the hood is closed, this fender flange is covered and hidden by the hood.

[0003] In the case of such a vehicle, when it collides with an obstacle outside the vehicle, a part of the obstacle (hereinafter referred to as the "protected object") may collide with the upper surface of the front of the vehicle. The laws and regulations of each country (for example, the "Automobile: Road Transport Vehicle Safety Standards" established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan) stipulate that the area of ​​the front of the vehicle where a collision with a protected object is predicted must have sufficient shock absorption. Hereinafter, this area where a collision is predicted will be referred to as the "protected area." Patent Document 1 proposes arranging a substantially hat-shaped bracket between the radiator support and the fender flange in order to increase the shock absorption in the front of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-91425 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in the past, some parts were fastened to the fender flange. Some of these parts had poor shock absorption. For example, in the past, a headlamp stay that stands from the top surface of a lamp unit was fastened directly to the fender flange. The lamp unit is a component in which a headlamp is built. Such a lamp unit does not easily deform and cannot adequately absorb shock. If the lamp stay, which is the fastening portion between the lamp unit and the fender flange, is located within the protection area, the protected object cannot be adequately protected in the event of a collision. Therefore, in the past, the position of the lamp unit was adjusted so that the lamp stay was located outside the protection area in a plan view. However, in this case, the degree of freedom in the positioning of the lamp unit, and therefore the degree of freedom in design, is reduced.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a vehicle front structure that allows greater freedom in design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle front structure disclosed in this specification comprises a fender flange that is part of a front fender panel and protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from an upper edge of a design surface of the front fender panel, a target component that is arranged lower on the vehicle than the fender flange, and a bracket that connects the fender flange and the target component, wherein the bracket has a bent portion that extends in a direction toward one side in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the upper side of the vehicle and then folds back in a direction toward the opposite side in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the upper side of the vehicle.

[0008] By connecting the target part to the fender flange via a bracket, the position of the target part is not restricted by the fender flange. In addition, by making the bracket shaped so that it folds back in the vehicle width direction, the deformation of the bracket can absorb the impact when the protected object collides. Therefore, no problems arise even if the target part is placed within the protected area. As a result, with the above configuration, the target part can be freely placed, improving the freedom of design.

[0009] In this case, the fastening portion of the target component that is fastened to the bracket may be located, in a plan view, inside a protection area that is predefined by law as the range in which a collision of the protected object is expected.

[0010] Conventionally, in order to protect the object to be protected, the fastening portion is arranged outside the protected area. On the other hand, when a bracket that is folded back in the vehicle width direction is used, the bracket can absorb the impact, so that the fastening portion can be arranged inside the protected area as described above.

[0011] In addition, the target part may be a lamp unit incorporating a headlamp, the fastening portion may be a lamp stay standing up from an upper surface of the lamp unit, and the bracket may extend from the lamp stay in a direction toward the outside in the vehicle width direction as it moves toward the upper side of the vehicle, and then bend back in a direction toward the inside in the vehicle width direction as it moves toward the upper side of the vehicle.

[0012] This configuration allows greater freedom in headlamp placement, thereby further increasing freedom in vehicle design.

[0013] In this case, the bracket may include an upper flange provided at an upper end of the bracket and elongated in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the upper flange being welded to the fender flange at a plurality of welding points spaced apart in the fore-and-aft direction in a state where the upper flange is stacked vertically on the fender flange near the front end of the fender flange, and the bracket may be fastened to the lamp stay.

[0014] With this configuration, the bracket also functions as a reinforcing member that reinforces the periphery of the front end of the fender flange, thereby suppressing deformation of the periphery of the front end of the fender flange, and ultimately the periphery of the front end of the front fender flange.

[0015] The lamp stay may be located more inward in the vehicle width direction than the upper flange, and the vertical distance from the bent portion to a fastening point with the lamp stay may be at least twice the vertical distance from the bent portion to the upper flange.

[0016] With this configuration, a certain amount of space can be secured on the outer side of the lamp stay in the vehicle width direction, and other components can be disposed in this space. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The vehicle front structure disclosed in this specification enables greater freedom in design. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the front part of the vehicle. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing deformation of a bracket when an object to be protected collides with the bracket; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The vehicle front structure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the front of a vehicle 10. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the front of the vehicle 10, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Fig. 2. In each drawing, Fr, Up, and Rh indicate the front, upper, and right side of the vehicle 10, respectively. In Fig. 2, the hood 14 is not shown. In Fig. 2, the front fender panel 12 is gray-hatched, and the lamp unit 30 is cross-hatched.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, a hood 14, a front fender panel 12, and headlamps 16 are arranged at the front of a vehicle 10. The hood 14 is a panel member that constitutes the upper surface of the front of the vehicle. The hood 14 is opened and closed by swinging about a rotation axis set near the rear end. In addition, the lower side of the hood 14 forms a power unit compartment 11 in which a power source, a heat exchanger (neither of which are shown), etc. are arranged.

[0021] Front fender panels 12 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the hood 14. The front fender panels 12 are panel members that form the sides of the front part of the vehicle. The upper part of the front fender panel 12 curves inward in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the upper end of the design surface of the front fender panel 12 smoothly connects with the design surface of the hood 14. Hereinafter, the boundary between the design surface of the front fender panel 12 and the design surface of the hood 14 will be referred to as the "parting line 18."

[0022] The front fender panel 12 has a fender flange 20. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the fender flange 20 is a portion that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper edge of the design surface of the front fender panel 12 (i.e., in the vicinity of the parting line 18). This fender flange 20 is located below the design surface of the front fender panel 12. Therefore, when the hood 14 is closed, the fender flange 20 is covered and hidden by the hood 14. Note that the portion near the front end of the parting line 18 curves downward toward the front. The fender flange 20 is divided into multiple small pieces 20a (three in the example of Figure 2) near the front end so that it can follow this curvature.

[0023] The headlamp 16 is disposed at the front end of the vehicle 10. The headlamp 16 is incorporated in a lamp unit 30. The lamp unit 30 is disposed inside the power unit compartment 11, i.e., on the vehicle lower side than the fender flange 20. A lamp stay 32 stands up from the upper surface of the lamp unit 30. The lamp stay 32 is a portion for fastening the lamp unit 30 to another member. As shown in FIG. 4, the lamp stay 32 is substantially L-shaped, rising from the upper surface of the lamp unit 30 toward the upper side of the vehicle and then extending toward the rear of the vehicle. In this example, the lamp stay 32 is fastened to a bracket 40, which will be described later. The lamp unit 30 corresponds to a "target part" that is connected to the bracket 40, and the lamp stay 32 corresponds to a "fastening portion" of the lamp unit 30 that is fastened to the bracket 40.

[0024] Bracket 40 is a member that connects fender flange 20 and lamp stay 32. This bracket 40 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of bracket 40. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, bracket 40 is broadly divided into an upper flange 42, a lower flange 44, and a connecting portion 46. Upper flange 42 is the upper end portion of bracket 40. Upper flange 42 is welded to fender flange 20 in a state where it is overlapped on the lower side of fender flange 20. X marks in Fig. 2 indicate welding points between upper flange 42 and fender flange 20. As is clear from Fig. 2, in this example, upper flange 42 is welded at multiple welding points (five in the illustrated example) that are arranged at intervals in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0025] The lower flange 44 is the lower end portion of the bracket 40, and is a plate-like portion extending in the horizontal direction. The lamp stay 32 is fastened to this lower flange 44. Fastening holes 54a for fastening the lamp stay 32 are formed in the lower flange 44. The lower flange 44 is also connected to the radiator support 34 (see FIG. 2) via the connecting plate 36 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). The radiator support 34 is a rigid member that supports a radiator (not shown) in the power unit chamber 11. The lower flange 44 is also formed with fastening holes 54b for fastening the connecting plate 36.

[0026] The connecting portion 46 is a portion that connects the upper flange 42 and the lower flange 44. As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 46 includes a lower inclined portion 50 extending from the lower flange 44 and an upper inclined portion 52 extending from the upper flange 42. The lower inclined portion 50 extends from the lower flange 44 in a direction toward the upper side of the vehicle as it moves toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The upper inclined portion 52 extends from the upper flange 42 in a direction toward the lower side of the vehicle as it moves toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the connecting portion 46 has a bent portion 48 that extends to one side in the vehicle width direction and then turns back to the opposite side in the vehicle width direction. As is clear from FIG. 3, the vertical distance Da from the bent portion 48 to the fastening point with the lamp stay 32 is more than twice the vertical distance Db from the bent portion 48 to the upper flange 42 (Da≧2×Db). In this example, the lower flange 44 is located inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper flange 42.

[0027] The reason for providing the bracket 40 having the above-mentioned shape will be explained. Conventionally, the lamp stay 32 was often fastened directly to the fender flange 20 without the bracket 40. In this case, the position of the lamp unit 30 was restricted by the position of the fender flange 20, and further, the parting line 18. As a result, the degree of freedom in the design of the vehicle 10 was low.

[0028] Furthermore, when the vehicle 10 collides with an obstacle outside the vehicle, a part of the obstacle (hereinafter referred to as the "protected object") may collide with the upper surface of the front of the vehicle. In order to suppress the impact received by the protected object at this time, standards are prescribed by the laws and regulations of each country. Specifically, the laws and regulations require that the area of ​​the front of the vehicle 10 where the collision of the protected object is predicted (hereinafter referred to as the "protected area 60") has sufficient impact absorption. The range of the protected area 60 is prescribed by the laws and regulations of each country. For example, in the case of Japan, the standards for the protected area 60 are prescribed in Article 18 "Technical Standards for Pedestrian Head Protection" of "Automobiles: Safety Standards for Road Transport Vehicles" established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Similar standards are also prescribed in the United Nations UN-R127 / 02 and the like.

[0029] When the lamp stay 32 is directly fastened to the fender flange 20, it is necessary to position the lamp stay 32 outside the protected area 60 in order to ensure sufficient shock absorption. That is, when the lamp stay 32 is positioned within the protected area 60, a collision load is applied to the lamp unit 30 via the lamp stay 32. Since the lamp unit 30 is a rigid body that does not easily deform, in this case, the lamp unit 30 cannot absorb the shock, and a reaction force from the lamp unit 30 acts on the object to be protected. As a result, the object to be protected receives a large shock. In order to avoid such a problem, the positions of the headlamp 16 and the parting line 18 have been adjusted so that the lamp stay 32 is positioned outside the protected area 60 in the past. In other words, when the lamp stay 32 is directly fastened to the fender flange 20, the degree of freedom in the design of the vehicle 10 is significantly reduced in order to ensure shock absorption.

[0030] Meanwhile, in this example, as described above, the bracket 40 is interposed between the lamp stay 32 and the fender flange 20. This allows the positions of the lamp stay 32, and therefore the lamp unit 30, to be set with some degree of freedom.

[0031] Furthermore, bracket 40 has bent portion 48 that is folded back in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, when a downward collision load is applied to bracket 40 during a frontal collision, bracket 40 is easily folded at bent portion 48, as shown in Fig. 5. This deformation of bracket 40 absorbs the impact and reduces the reaction force acting on the protected object.

[0032] In addition, in this example, since the bracket 40 is used, the lamp unit 30 can be easily separated from the hood 14. As a result, even if the object to be protected collides from the upper side of the hood 14, the object to be protected does not hit the lamp unit 30. This prevents the lamp unit 30 from exerting a reaction force on the object to be protected, and reduces the impact applied to the object to be protected. In addition, according to the above-mentioned regulations, the collision stroke of the object to be protected in a frontal collision, and therefore the maximum advance position of the object to be protected, can be predicted. In this example, the lamp stay 32 is disposed below the maximum advance position of the object to be protected. In addition, the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5 indicates the substantially spherical object to be protected 62 advanced to the maximum advance position.

[0033] As described above, by employing the bracket 40 that is folded back in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to reduce the impact applied to the object to be protected while increasing the degree of freedom in arranging the lamp unit 30. In FIG. 2, the two-dot chain line L1 indicates the boundary of the protected area 60. The protected area 60 is located inside this line L1. In this example, the lamp stay 32, i.e., the fastening portion between the lamp unit 30 and the bracket 40, is positioned inside the protected area 60 in a plan view.

[0034] As described above, the upper flange 42 of the bracket 40 is long in the vehicle front-rear direction and is welded to the fender flange 20 at multiple welding points spaced apart in the vehicle front-rear direction. With this configuration, the bracket 40 also functions as a reinforcing member that reinforces the periphery of the front end of the fender flange 20. That is, the periphery of the front end of the fender flange 20 is divided into multiple small pieces 20a and is easily deformed. In order to suppress deformation of the periphery of the front end of the fender flange 20 and, by extension, the periphery of the front end of the front fender panel 12, the fender flange 20 is connected to the radiator support 34 via the bracket 40. At this time, the fastening portion between the fender flange 20 and the bracket 40, i.e., the upper flange 42, has a certain length in the vehicle front-rear direction, so that the periphery of the front end of the fender flange 20 can be reinforced more stably.

[0035] 3, the vertical distance Da from the bent portion 48 to the lamp stay 32 is set to be at least twice the vertical distance Db from the bent portion 48 to the upper flange 42. This makes it possible to ensure a large space S on the outer side of the lower inclined portion 50 in the vehicle width direction, and various parts can be arranged in the space S.

[0036] In addition, the configurations described so far are all examples, and may be appropriately changed as long as they have the configuration described in claim 1. For example, the bent portion 48 of the bracket 40 described above is convex toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. However, depending on the arrangement of peripheral parts, the bent portion 48 of the bracket 40 may be convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. In addition, although the bracket 40 described above has only one bent portion 48, it may have more bent portions 48. That is, the bracket 40 may be accordion-shaped, folded back multiple times in the vehicle width direction. In addition, in the description so far, the bracket 40 is fastened to the lamp unit 30. However, the bracket 40 may be fastened to another part as long as it is arranged below the fender flange 20 and is a part to be connected to the fender flange 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10 vehicle, 11 power unit compartment, 12 front fender panel, 14 hood, 16 headlamp, 18 parting line, 20 fender flange, 30 lamp unit, 32 lamp stay, 34 radiator support, 36 connecting plate, 40 bracket, 42 upper flange, 44 lower flange, 46 connecting portion, 48 bent portion, 50 lower inclined portion, 52 upper inclined portion, 60 protected area, 62 protected object.

Claims

1. a fender flange that is a part of a front fender panel and that protrudes inward in a vehicle width direction from an upper end edge of a design surface of the front fender panel; A target part that is arranged on a vehicle lower side than the fender flange; A bracket that connects the fender flange and the target component; The bracket has a bent portion that extends toward one side in the vehicle width direction toward the upper side of the vehicle and then bends back toward the opposite side in the vehicle width direction toward the upper side of the vehicle. A vehicle front structure comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, A vehicle front structure characterized in that the fastening portion of the target part that is fastened to the bracket is located, in a plan view, inside a protective area specified in advance by regulations as the range in which a collision of a protected object is expected.

3. 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, the target part is a lamp unit incorporating a headlamp, the fastening portion is a lamp stay standing upright from an upper surface of the lamp unit, the bracket extends in a direction toward the outside in the vehicle width direction as it moves from the lamp stay toward the upper side of the vehicle, and then bends back in a direction toward the inside in the vehicle width direction as it moves toward the upper side of the vehicle, A vehicle front structure comprising:

4. 4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 3, The bracket includes an upper flange provided at an upper end of the bracket and elongated in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, the upper flange is welded to the fender flange at a plurality of welding points spaced apart in the fore-and-aft direction in a state where the upper flange is overlapped with the fender flange in the vicinity of a front end of the fender flange, The bracket is fastened to the lamp stay. A vehicle front structure comprising:

5. The vehicle front structure according to claim 4, The lamp stay is located inward in a vehicle width direction from the upper flange, a vertical distance from the bent portion to a fastening point with respect to the lamp stay is equal to or greater than twice the vertical distance from the bent portion to the upper flange.

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